synopsis

So much of the art created in the 21st century seems designed to be transient, ephemeral, and disposable, yet Handel’s Messiah continues to be relevant on a global scale over 275 years after its creation. From Hong Kong to Rio De Janeiro, from New York to Tel Aviv, the Messiah is performed over 10,000 times every year, something few, if any, works of art in the human history can boast. This new documentary will tell the story of how this oratory became such a vital and relevant part of our 21st century world.

The project will explore why the Messiah stands apart as a singular work of art, balancing music, narrative, and humankind’s relationship to the divine.

The documentary will illustrate the global reach of Handel's Messiah as an artistic achievement and explore the stories of the individuals who carry its legacy.

It will also investigate is the work’s controversial introduction, with its sacred subject matter being presented in a secular context.

The Process

RESEARCH & WRITING

During this stage of the journey the writer/director and producers begin the arduous process of learning all they can and translating that content into a narrative structure. They also begin identifying the best people and places it explore and include in the production process.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Most documentaries and films succeed or fail in the planning stage, and pre-production is where much of the real work of filmmaking takes place. During this time the documentary team ensures we have all of the details like schedules, casting, locations and logistics firmly in place.

FILMING

During this stage of the process our team will be traveling across the country and around the world to capture the stories behind the story of Handel’s Messiah. One of the unique aspects of documentary work is how a great filming journey invites the director to reexamine and revise the project as new discoveries are made.

POST-PRODUCTION

Post-production is the final stage where all of the audio, visual and narrative elements are assembled to create an expression greater than the whole of it’s parts. This process includes editing, animations, audio mixing, color grading and even test screenings in order to arrive at the best possible version of the documentary.

As our creative collective has started to dig in and explore the real reach and scope of

meet the documentary

creative team

Great documentaries are created by teams of people bringing unique perspectives, abilities and backgrounds to a project. We’re excited to continue to grow our cast and crew as we move forward with the project. Tap on the images below to learn more about our team and their experiences.

Alex is the creator director at ASM and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His previous documentary, SIX:EIGHT, won Best Feature Documentary at the 2018 Charlotte Film Festival.

Alex Schwindt

Writer / Director

David is an highly decorated reporter and documentarian, having won 15 Emmys for his work as a journalist and the DuPont Award in 2007 for his documentary on migrant workers in North Carolina.

David Crabtree

Executive Producer

Lori is a filmmaker, editor and educator with significant experience working in commercial and short-form documentary formats. Her most recent work includes projects for Duke University.

Lori Schwindt

Editor

Jesse is an experienced animator, motion designer, VFX artist and 3D modeler. His most recent work includes animations for Toshiba and iKoronogo Technologies.

Jesse Henning

Animations

Andres is a world-class audio engineer with decades of experience in live sound and studio audio design. He currently serves as the executive director for AV Gorilla.

Andres Rivera

Sound Engineer

Brian is an accomplished composer for film and television. His most recent credits include compositions for CBS Sports, Discovery, The History Channel and MTV.

Brian Michael Fuller

Music Consultant

collaborate & connect

The story our team is creating is one that covers the entire globe, and our driving passion is to tell it as insightfully and powerfully as possible. If you’d like to make a creative contribution, we’d love to hear from you.

Maybe you have a unique story to tell about your history with Handel’s Messiah. Maybe you have a connection of someone we should be speaking with. Maybe you’d like to invest in telling seeing this dream become a reality.

Any way you cut it, if you’d like to get involved we’d love to hear from you. Use this form to reach out and share a little bit of what’s on your mind and we’ll take it from there!